Not content simply juggling the roles of singer, singerwriter and producer, The-Dream has added yet another skill to his repertoire: rapping. On TRON, the latest single off his fifth studio album, the Radio Killa sets out to prove that, contrary to popular belief, he “ain’t an R&B n*gga.” Rather than handling his own production, Terius Nash enlists a currently-uncredited outside beatsmith to craft this cut’s whip-ready backdrop, leaving him free to concentrate on rocking the mic. His braggadocious bars come filtered through a pitch-lowering studio effect—think H-Town Screw by way of a handheld voice changer. Time to weigh in, readers: should Dream kick rhymes more often, or stick to singing? Whatever your opinion, you can stay tuned to The DJBooth for the latest on IV Play, set to hit record stores and online retailers sometime this spring.

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